Actress worked with the playwright/screenwriter on The Ritz: 'Terrence was never ashamed of being gay' The remarkable Rita Moreno, who at 86 remains a force of nature, graced the Outfest red carpet for the festival premiere of Every Act of Life, a new documentary about playwright Terrence McNally. The pair worked together on the Broadway production of The Ritz, which won Moreno a Tony Award in 1975 for her role as an outlandish Puerto Rican entertainer. She went on to star in the movie version of the show, directed by Richard Lester. He always looked like this little boy, sweet little Irish lad, with a poison tongue. Moreno appears in the documentary directed by Jeff Kaufman, recalling her experience collaborating with McNally, one of the most successful playwrights of his time and a man who never felt compelled to deny his gay identity. Nonfictionfilm.com spoke with the EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) about her Ritz-y role, and her thoughts on McNally. |
AuthorMatthew Carey is a documentary filmmaker and journalist. His work has appeared on Deadline.com, CNN, CNN.com, TheWrap.com, NBCNews.com and in Documentary magazine. |